blog

Sep 27

21st Century Business

Let's fact it, how we do business is changing. But, we don't have to freak out about it. We just have to change with times to meet our consumer's needs - and wants.

Consumers are more educated and empowered than ever. When they have a question or a need, they go to Google and find the information they need to solve their problem. They can educate themselves on the product or service they are looking for, see businesses in their area that offer it, read reviews from consumers, visit websites and social media sites of possible providers and make their buying decision. This all happens online now!

In most cases, before a consumer ever picks up the phone to call you or steps foot in your brick-and-mortar location, they have done all their research.

The great news about this is, your leads are much more qualified by the time they reach you - less shopping around and less sales hassle for you; however, this makes the importance of your digital presence imperative. If they can't find you digitally, in most cases, they won't even consider you because they don't know you exist. Once they get to your website, what is their experience like? Can they educate themselves on what you offer? Can they contact someone easily? Can they make a purchase or schedule an appointment online?

If consumers can't work through their buying process on your website, they'll leave - and go do business with a website where they can.

Take a look at your online presence. How do you rank in Google search results for your product or service in your city or region? Is your website set up to help consumers through the buying process? Do you have a presence socially to build relationships with your consumers? If you were shopping for your product or service, would you choose your establishment or one of your competitors? How are the leaders of your industry handling the digital revolution with their sites and social media?